Lily pond table

The Omega Workshops were founded in 1913 by Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, key figures of the artistic and literary circle, the Bloomsbury Group. The workshops were established to assist artists, particularly those who demonstrated an interest and ability in the applied or decorative arts, to become better known, therefore increasing their chances of earning a livelihood from their art. Although only active for seven years, the Omega Workshops produced a wide range of items, including toys, printed textiles, embroideries, ceramics and furniture.

With its straight, unadorned legs and simple rectangular top, the table is somewhat austere and utilitarian in design, enabling the true star of the table to shine – Duncan Grant’s bold and painterly design on the table top itself. Pouring small pots of paint across the surface, Grant has created an abstracted impression of a lily pond, with swathes of colour to represent lilies, leaves, water and the bright dabs of swimming goldfish. Five versions of this striking table are in existence and this particular example once belonged to Vanessa Bell’s husband, Clive Bell, also a noted art critic and a committed supporter of the Omega Workshops.

Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art Pre-1980